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46 A Border City in the Civil War
with its papers and periodicals from every part of the
Union, and also of the Law Library of the city, was also
tendered them. Then, by a secret prearrangement,
in companies of from six to twelve, the members of
the Convention were daily invited by Union men to
dine with them; and, so long as the Convention con-
tinued its sessions, in the most conservative and kindly
way, at the tables and in the parlors of the best and
most intelligent men and women of the city, the whole
question of secession in all its phases was thoroughly
discussed. By such a procedure, without arousing an-
tagonism, deep-rooted prejudice began gradually to
give way, and new light, unobserved, penetrated the
minds of the members of this sovereign Convention, and,
as one by one the days passed, the hope of the disloyal
that Missouri would secede was constantly on the wane.
Let us now notice the composition of this sovereign
body, in whose hands was providentially placed the
political destiny, not only of Missouri, but perchance
also of the entire Republic. It had ninety-nine mem-
bers. Of these, fifty-two were lawyers, seven of whom
were judges. These men by their training were capable
of clearly and firmly grasping the fundamental principles
of law and government. Happily more than half of the
Convention was of this class. Twenty-six were farmers,
who from habit of thought were decidedly conservative.
Eleven were merchants, who intuitively discerned the
conditions that must be maintained in order to secure
and promote the commercial prosperity of their State.
Three were physicians, one of whom, Dr. Linton, was
an exceptionally clear-headed and brilliant man. There
were also one lumber dealer, one bank commissioner,
one civil engineer, one blacksmith, one tanner, one
leather dealer and one circuit clerk. Each of these,

46 A Border City in the Civil War
with its papers and periodicals from every part of the
Union, and also of the Law Library of the city, was also
tendered them. Then, by a secret prearrangement,
in companies of from six to twelve, the members of
the Convention were daily invited by Union men to
dine with them; and, so long as the Convention con-
tinued its sessions, in the most conservative and kindly
way, at the tables and in the parlors of the best and
most intelligent men and women of the city, the whole
question of secession in all its phases was thoroughly
discussed. By such a procedure, without arousing an-
tagonism, deep-rooted prejudice began gradually to
give way, and new light, unobserved, penetrated the
minds of the members of this sovereign Convention, and,
as one by one the days passed, the hope of the disloyal
that Missouri would secede was constantly on the wane.
Let us now notice the composition of this sovereign
body, in whose hands was providentially placed the
political destiny, not only of Missouri, but perchance
also of the entire Republic. It had ninety-nine mem-
bers. Of these, fifty-two were lawyers, seven of whom
were judges. These men by their training were capable
of clearly and firmly grasping the fundamental principles
of law and government. Happily more than half of the
Convention was of this class. Twenty-six were farmers,
who from habit of thought were decidedly conservative.
Eleven were merchants, who intuitively discerned the
conditions that must be maintained in order to secure
and promote the commercial prosperity of their State.
Three were physicians, one of whom, Dr. Linton, was
an exceptionally clear-headed and brilliant man. There
were also one lumber dealer, one bank commissioner,
one civil engineer, one blacksmith, one tanner, one
leather dealer and one circuit clerk. Each of these,